Health care bill heats up

The state’s top union today blasted the attacks that have been coming in on a bill that would create a one-year moratorium on cuts in retiree health benefits while a task force looks at the issue.

On one side are groups like the Empire Center and the New York Association of Counties, which say the bill would prevent local governments from reining in health care costs, one of the largest and fastest growing expenses they face. On the other side are labor interests like CSEA, the state government’s largest union, which says governments could still make changes while the moratorium is on, but they’d have to bargain for them. And, CSEA said, it’s a matter of government fulfilling an obligation to its retired workers.

The moratorium would last through June 30, 2009. Employers could cut health benefits for retirees only if they did the same for a corresponding group of active workers, which would mean any significant cuts would have to be negotiated with a union ( they could go after health benefits for non-union retirees, like former elected officials and certain white collar workers, but the pool would smaller).

The bill had already passed the Senate in March and gone over to the Assembly, but was called back to be amended so that the moratorium was included.

Here’s an earlier story on the bill, an op-ed by the Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon, and CSEA’s release today.